Zachary Quinto would love to play Spock for a long time

When it comes to pop culture franchises, Star Trek has proven to be as timeless as they come. As they tell morality stories, there's simply no going out of style. They're like Sesame Street like that. If you have a point to your story, you're always relevant. The only difference is, instead of Elmo hating on a rock, it's Khan hating on a Kirk.

With a franchise able to adapt and expand as it needed, it's quite easy for actors to develop and change with it. In a franchise like the MCU, you'd be hard-pressed to pull off a story where Peter Parker is in his 70s swinging around Manhattan while being a broke, freelance photographer. In Star Trek, an older character could absolutely still be a vital part of the story.

It's something that as fans we all know. Yet, it's something that the actors seem to know as well. Namely, Zachary Quinto, who played Spock most recently in the 2016 Star Trek: Beyond film. Speaking to Variety, Quinto explained that he's not in a rush for a return to Star Trek, as he can be Spock at any age, saying;

"“The great thing is ‘Star Trek’ is a limitless universe. Look at all the television shows, look at all the stories, look at all the characters and timelines. Anything is possible. That’s the joy of the franchise. That’s why it’s lasted for 55, 60 years. I’m open to it. I would love it. I would absolutely love it.”"

It's a very real possibility that Quinto finally returns to Spock when he hits 50 years old. Currently, he's 47 and last appeared as Spock when he was about 38. Yet, due to the low-impact role he plays, age is largely irrelevant. After all, his predecessor Leonard Nimoy last played Spock in his 80s.

It's not like Star Trek will demand Quinto be a superhero and do high-impact stunts and sprint around a set in rubber tights. MCU actor Jeremy Renner recently spoke about aging out of his role when discussing a film based on his character, Hawkeye, saying (via ScreenRant);

""It would be a wonderful thing (a Hawkeye film). Just don't wait too long! I don't want to be in my 50s in tights.""

Renner isn't the only one who didn't want the grind of such a role, as Chris Evans left his role as Captain American in part because of the physical toll that maintaining the muscle mass took on him. Same thing with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. It becomes very hard to maintain that type of physique.

There are no such concerns while playing Spock. Hopefully, we don't have to wait much longer for Spock's return to the big screen. But if we have to wait until Quinto is 50 or older, so be it.